Dover Man Ordered Held on $50K Cash Bail

A Dover man who is already a registered sex offender was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail in Portsmouth Circuit Court on Monday after being charged with three counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault over the weekend.

Aaron Bonds, 43, of 10 Freedom Court in Dover, had a video arraignment on the new charges. He was arrested by Portsmouth Police on an arrest warrant at the River House on Saturday, where he was working as a cook. Police allege that Bonds gave his female victim an intoxicating substance they would not name in court that rendered the victim "physically helpless to resist."

Portsmouth Police Prosecutor Rena DiLando asked Judge Sawato Gardner to hold Bonds on $50,000 cash bail instead of the original $25,000 cash bail that was set following his arrest. DiLando said police have evidence that Bonds may be involved in drug sales.

"Any money that he posts for bail could come from drug sale proceeds," DiLando said.

Police allege that Bonds gave the female victim an intoxicating substance that made her unable to resist on July 11. Police say the victim was treated at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

According to Portsmouth Police Capt. Corey MacDonald, the alleged offenses occurred somewhere in Portsmouth and detectives are investigating allegations made by other women that Bonds also gave them intoxicating substances.

DiLando said Bonds also has a lengthy criminal record in New Hampshire. Besides the aggravated felonious sexual assault conviction in 2003, she said Bonds was charged with failure to report his sex offender status with drug acts prohibited by Dover Police on May 16. She said Bonds has also been charged with being deemed a habitual offender in 2009 and 2011.

In North Carolina, she said Bonds was charged with breaking and entering and criminal trespassing in 1986 and other drug offenses in 1997 and 1998.

Bonds asked the court to set a lower cash surety bail and stressed "I am not involved in any drug sales because I was working everyday."

He said any money he posts for bail would come from money that he has been saving from his job where he worked as a chef at the River House on Bow Street. "I think $50,000 is really absurd," he added.

Bond also said that he has been paying his child support.

"I'm the kind of person who is not going to bail jump and run so I can face my responsibilities," Bonds said.

Gardner set Bonds' bail at $50,000 cash and scheduled a probable cause hearing for July 25 at 8:30 a.m. in Portsmouth Circuit Court.